There once was a man named George Thomas,
There once was a man named George Thomas,
a pastor in a
small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he
came to the church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage,
and
set it by the pulpit. Several eyebrows were raised and, as
if
in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak.
“I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young
boy coming toward me, swinging this bird cage.
On the
bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering
with fright.
I stopped the lad and asked, “What you got there, son?”
“Just some dumb old birds,” came the reply.
“What are you gonna do with them?” I asked.
“Take ‘em home and have fun with ‘em.
I’m gonna tease ‘em and pull out their feathers to make
‘em fight.
I’m gonna have a real good time.”
“But you’ll get tired of those birds sooner or later.
What will you do then?”
“Oh, I got some cats. They like birds. I’ll give ‘em
to them.”
I was silent
for a moment.
“How much do you want for those birds, son?”
“Huh??!!! Why, you don’t want them birds, mister.
They’re just plain old field birds.
They don’t sing - they ain’t even pretty!”
“How much?”
The boy sized me up as if I were crazy and said,
“$10?”.
I reached in my pocket and took out a ten dollar bill and
placed it in the boy’s hand.
In a flash, the boy was gone.
I picked up the cage and gently carried it to the
end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot.
Setting the cage down, I opened the door, and
by softly tapping the bars, persuaded the birds out,
setting them free.
“Well, that explains the empty bird cage on the pulpit,
and now I have another story to tell you:
One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation.
Satan had just come
from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting.
Yes, sir, I just
caught the world full of people down there.
Set me a trap, used bait I knew
they couldn’t resist. Got ‘em all!”
“What are you going to do with them?” Jesus asked.
“Oh, I’m gonna have fun!
I’m gonna teach them how to divorce each other.
How to hate and abuse each other.
How to drink and smoke and curse.
How to invent guns and bombs and kill each other,
I’m really gonna have fun!”
“And what will you do when you get done with them?”,
Jesus asked.
“Oh, I’ll kill ‘em, and keep ‘em with me for
eternity in hell.”
“How much do you want for them?”
“Oh, you don’t want those people. They ain’t no good.
Why, you’ll take them and they’ll just hate you.
They’ll spit on you, curse you and kill you!!
You don’t want those people!!”
“How much?”
Satan sized Jesus up, as if He were crazy, and sneered,
“All your tears, and all your blood.”
Jesus paid the price.”
The pastor picked up the cage, opened the door,
and walked from the pulpit.
Are you still in the cage?
“If the Son [of God] makes you free, you shall be free indeed”
(John 8:36)
…author unknown
from:
http://inspirations.spunge.org/
